In connecting components of various end products, in which the components are to be selectively assembled and disassembled, connectors are desirable for accomplishing this selective assembly and disassembly between the components. This is particularly true in knock-down furniture, which is becoming increasingly popular, for purposes of assembling the furniture components for normal use of the furniture and allowing disassembly of the components when storing or shipping of the furniture is desired.
Although a wide variety of connectors, including those which lock and unlock by relative rotation of the members thereof, have previously been proposed for various components, including knock-down furniture components, these previously proposed twist lock connectors have suffered from design deficiencies and lack of flexibility in their use. For example, the previously proposed twist lock connectors have been complicated in design rendering them expensive to manufacture and have been limited to relative rotation of the members for locking thereof in only one left-hand or right-hand direction, but not in either direction depending upon the desired orientation of the assembled components. Also, for the most part, these previously proposed connectors left portions thereof exposed when the furniture or other type of components were assembled which was undesirable from an asthetic standpoint. Additionally, the constructions of these previously proposed connectors have not been suitable for fabrication from inexpensive materials and for mass production for producing inexpensive connectors for use in the industry.
Examples of such prior connectors are disclosed in the following United States Patents.
______________________________________ Patent No. Inventor Issue Date ______________________________________ 135,655 J. C. Miller et al February 11, 1873 2,574,648 J. H. Mason November 13, 1951 3,515,418 R. N. Nielson, Jr. June 2, 1970 3,640,576 A. T. Morrison et al February 8, 1972 3,661,411 K. E. Flick May 9, 1972 3,749,432 L. M. L. Jaissen July 31, 1973 3,778,102 B. L. Snyder et al December 11, 1973 3,811,157 P. Schenk May 21, 1974 ______________________________________